Month

Head of States and governments in the western and central African states have expressed concerns over the upsurge in the spread of violent conflicts between herders and farmers due to and particularly the adverse effects of climate change.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the joint summit of Economic Community of west African States ECOWAS, and the Economic Community of Central African States ECCAS in Lome,the Togolese Capital, referred to as the Lome Declaration, the heads of states renewed their commitment to cooperate in conflict prevention, promotion of peace and stability in the two regions.

They considered the overall security situations in west and central Africa noting the risks created by the increase number of security challenges, particularly terrorism, human, drugs and arms trafficking, money laundering and cybercrime.

speaking at the opening ceremony, The Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe said the Geographical proximity of western and central Africa has created leakages for security and business.

in his words ” The borders we share makes us vulnerable to external influences, it is imperative that we find a common approach to protecting our people from the dangers of these influences by writing a new page to work together for better living for our people”

” The cross border nature of the security threats we face should not hinder our trade relations and other beneficial interventions”

The special representative of the United Nations Secretary General and Head of the UN office for West Africa Muhammed Ibn Chambers stated that Africa must work hard to tackle the root causes of insecurity and terrorism.

He used the medium to call for the doubling of efforts to save the lake chad region from drought in order to reduce the incessant farmers herders crises across west Africa.

he added that with the signing of the memoranda of understanding between ECOWAS and ECCAS, the region has what it takes to forge ahead in the areas of Security of lives and properties.

The Communiqué also captures instructions from heads of governments to their relevant ministers to consider issues relating to Migration and climate change in their common space.

the 21 points communiqué captures the aim of the joint summit which is to create conditions for sustainable peace and secured environment in common area of the two regions.

The Federal Ministry of Health has recalled 2.4 million bottles of cough syrup containing codeine after a recent audit of the substance carried out by National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
According to a statement by Mrs Boade Akinola, Director Media and Public Relations of the ministry on Sunday in Abuja, the recall demonstrated the FG’s resolve to stem the abuse of codeine and other substances in Nigeria.
Akinola said the minister had recently received the final report of the 22-man Stakeholders Committee set up by the Ministry to address the worrisome menace of codeine abuse in Nigeria.
She quoted the Minister of Health Prof Isaac Adewole as saying that the audit trail and subsequent recall of the substance was part of recommendations of Stakeholders Committee set by the ministry to address codeine abuse in Nigeria.

Senator Dino Melaye has explained his alleged abduction, on Thursday, when he was expected to attend a court sitting on illegal arms possession in Lokoja, Kogi State.
Malaye told reporters, yesterday, that he was not abducted by some “gunmen”, who he alleged tried to attack him, but he escaped into the bush “to avoid the attack”.
Melaye said he left Abuja early in the morning on Thursday to Lokoja, when he realised that a Siena car was trailing him. The occupants of the car, he said, overtook, block and started shooting at his vehicle.
He said when the suspected assassins realised that his vehicle was a bulletproof one, they halted his movement and attempted to burn his car.
Melaye said: “When I realised that they wanted to burn my vehicle, I quickly opened the car and ran into the bush. I had to run for my life. It was the grace of God that made me to escape.
When I got into the bush, I climbed a tree and stayed there. While on the tree, I saw two of the policemen coming to look for me, but they didn’t know I was on the tree. I was in the bush for 11 hours.
My brother that was in one of the vehicles didn’t know what happened. So, he had to raise an alarm that I was kidnapped. He went to the Gwagwalada police station and reported the matter. .
At first, they wanted to act, but when one of them made a call, they started tossing my brother up and down They then asked him to go and wait for them at the scene, that they would join him. .
But he waited for more than 45 minutes, they didn’t come. So, it’s not true for the police to say that none of my family members reported the matter.” Melaye noted that the claim that he staged his alleged kidnap to avoid attending the court session in Lokoja was not true.
He said: “If anything happens to me, the Nigerian Police and Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, should be held responsible.
I went through four assassination attempts as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but the President remained silent. Definitely, I’m going to call the attention of the international community.

Some lawmakers of the Benue State House of Assembly on Monday served an impeachment notice on Governor Samuel Ortom. .
Channels TV reports that the lawmakers who served the impeachment notice on the state governor are the eight All Progressives Congress members of the House. .
The impeached the House Speaker, Terkimbi Ikyange, who served as spokesperson of the eight lawmakers told journalists that the House has commenced impeachment proceedings against Governor Ortom on the allegations of diversion of state funds and abuse of office.
Ikyange added that 15 lawmakers have been suspended for six months.
The 15 newly suspended lawmakers are part of the 22 lawmakers who impeached him, last week.
Earlier on Monday, police officers had stormed the Assembly Complex denying the 22 lawmakers who impeached the former Speaker, Ikyange, entry into the House.
The crisis comes a few days after Governor Ortom defected from the APC to the PDP. It also came days after 22 lawmakers impeached the House Speaker, Terkimbi Ikyange while Titus Mba from PDP was elected as new Speaker.

In response the incessant killings in Zamfara State and other Northern states, The Federal Government has assembled 1000-strong military force, comprising the army, air force, police and the civil defence to launch fierce attacks on the bandits terrorising the villages and towns of Zamfara State.

Following directives by President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has begun the deployment of fighter aircraft to Katsina, the airport with the closest proximity to Zamfara State to make for immediate and effective response to the menace of the bandits.

in a statement by the senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Mallam Garbage Shehu, This had not been possible in the past because there was no fuel depot facility in Katsina, but NAF has devised a way around the problem.

The President has also authorised the engagement by NAF, of advanced satellite surveillance technology to help in accurate detection of movement and locations of the bandits.

the statement Emphasised that The government had to go to this extent because of the limitations of conventional surveillance, as the use of satellite technology could make the task of NAF less problematic.

Following directives from the President, at the weekend, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadiq Abubakar, was in Gusau where he met the Deputy Governor of the State.

The Chief of Air Staff reiterated the President’s pledge that he would never abandon victims of attacks to their fate, reaffirming that security remains one of the cardinal pillars of his campaign promises and no leader would be happy to see his own citizens killed by criminal groups across the country.

It will be recalled that since his election, the President has kept faith with his promises to re-equip and motivate the country’s military and other security services.

The army and other security services are now better equipped and motivated to face the challenges of their responsibilities.

The Presidency, therefore, appeals to all Nigerians to unite and speak with one voice on security issues and urges politicians to stop exploiting national security challenges.

Professor Kingsley Moghalu, the Young Progressive Party’s (YPP) presidential aspirant, has stated that he will be waiting to receive President Buhari’s concession call on 17 February, 2019, as he emphasized that the country is due for a holistic change in leadership.

The former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria made the statement during the ‘To Build a Nation’ (TBAN) townhall meeting held at Banquet Hall, Arewa House in Kaduna on 26 July, 2018.

Speaking on the mass defection ongoing between the major parties in the nation, Professor Moghalu said they areall the same and “it is time for someone new, someone different, someone bold” in 2019. He advised that people

should get their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) to bring about “a new independence; an independence from poverty and tribalism in Nigeria”.

The presidential aspirant also decried the failure of the government to secure lives and properties of the citizenry,

stating that “the number one duty that any government should provide for its people is to make them feel safe”. He further highlighted his intention to increase the police workforce from 350,000 to 1,500,000 when elected.

Professor Kingsley Moghalu, the founder of the Institute for Governance and Economic Transformation (IGET) ― a public policy think tank focused on contributing evidence-based solutions to help Nigeria and other African

countries achieve inclusive growth and prosperity, revealed that, when elected as President, the country’s economy will run on innovation as “the secret of the wealth and prosperity of the western world is built on through innovation”.

Citing economic case studies of China, Malaysia and Dubai, the YPP presidential aspirant said Nigeria needs a nation builder, suitable economic policies, and appropriate national ambition to restore its global position. “We have no one to blame for the poverty of this country other than our political rulers. It is in their favour for us to be poor so that every four years they can come and buy our votes”, said Moghalu.

He highlighted his plans to transform Nigeria through the implementation of a new curriculum that is technologically driven; the provision of a 1 trillion naira venture capital fund to enable the provision of jobs; and the establishment of vocational skills training centers in all 774 local government areas of Nigeria.

Through the autobiographical poems of a young British Chinese woman, Alissa Anne Jeun Yi explores the personal and political sides of our love lives, from awkward teenage crushes to navigating consent to the hyper-sexualisation of East Asian women. Mixing comedy, get-on-the-dance-floor music, rap and spoken word, Love Songs is a cautionary guidebook charting the highs and lows of the millennial dating scene, and a glimpse under the covers at our deepest desires and the all-consuming fear of ending up alone. Alissa is on a search for The One (as promised to her by countless stories and media), but her coming-of-age journey to date has been far from smooth.

Alissa Anne Jeun Yi said, “Love Songs simply started as a way to find closure from an personal experience of heartbreak and sexual assault, whilst empowering those with similar experiences by presenting an alternative, overall positive story that doesn’t portray people as ‘survivors’ or ‘victims’. I’ve grown a lot as both an artist and person since then – it has now snowballed into something much more than I expected, and I can’t wait to debut it in Edinburgh this year.

“Aside from feeling frustrated at the limited narratives about sexual assault I was seeing, I also began to realise that, as a Half-Chinese Half-British woman, there weren’t any well-rounded East Asian female characters in film, theatre and TV that I identified with. Love Songs isn’t just about how laughter can be used to heal pain. It’s a coming-of-age story with a wider focus on my journey to be comfortable and proud in my own skin, and encourage others to be too.”

Alissa Anne Jeun Yiis a writer, performer and theatre-maker based in Kent and East London. Most recently her work has been performed at Camden People’s Theatre (Calm Down, Dear Festival of Feminism), The Marlowe Theatre Studio, The Tristan Bates, The Arcola Theatre and the Brighton Fringe. She was a member of the Marlowe Theatre Playwrights and is a member of the Soho Writer’s Lab 2018 and the Soho Edinburgh Lab.

Established in 2017 by Alissa Anne Jeun Yi and Nikhil Vyas, Trip Hazards theatre company aims to innovatively stage fun, fresh and thought-provoking work for modern and diverse audiences. Their energetic, cross-disciplinary shows combine the autobiographical and the absurd, whilst finding creative ways to incorporate spoken word, live music, and rap into the telling of unheard stories.

Abuja, Nigeria; July, Professor Kingsley Moghalu, the Presidential aspirant for the Young Progressive Party (YPP), and former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has appointed Abubakar Abdullahi, a professional political consultant, as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of his 2019 Presidential campaign.

Prof. Moghalu also announced Ebere Samuel as the National Coordinator for the Kingsley Moghalu Support Organisation (KIMSO).

Mr. Abubakar will coordinate the operations of the campaign including logistics, personnel, fundraising and political operations across the 36 States of Nigeria. This will involve overseeing the work of the nationwide KIMSO and the Kingsley Moghalu Volunteer Force.

KIMSO and the Kingsley Moghalu Volunteers form the grassroots ‘ground army’ of the campaign. They are currently present and active in 27 states of the Federation, down to local government areas and the ward level and will cover all of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Both the support and volunteer groups are expected to grow rapidly as the 2019 general elections draw nearer.

“I am pleased to welcome Abubakar, Ebere and the zonal coordinators of KIMSO to our ‘To Build a Nation’ (TBAN) movement and our campaign for the Office of the President on the platform of the YPP. We must release Nigerians from the bondage of poverty and unemployment in which our failed and recycled politicians have kept us, and take our country into a new future of prosperity” said Kingsley Moghalu, a political economist and founder of the Institute for Governance and Economic Transformation. “We need solid structures in place to win the elections and bring this vision into reality. The appointment of Abubakar, Ebere and zonal leaders of KIMSO brings on board energetic men and women who are passionate about the vision and know how to get things done”, Moghalu added.

Abubakar said “I believe in Kingsley Moghalu’s vision for Nigeria. He is the best candidate standing today to become President of Nigeria based on his economic management, nation building, diplomatic and other credentials, and the relevance of his vision and experience to the needs of our country at this juncture in our national history. I am honoured to have been invited to join this historic movement to build a new Nigeria. We will leave no stone unturned to usher in victory for the people and a new era for Nigeria in 2019”.

Mr. Abubakar was the Chief Executive Officer of Machinations Ltd, a political consulting firm. He has lived and worked in 31 states in Nigeria and is also an alumnus of the Institute of Politics, a centre founded in Chicago by David Axelrod, the political consultant that masterminded former United States President, Barack Obama’s successful Presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012.

The activities of KIMSO have been clearly visible in the ongoing ‘To Build a Nation’ town-hall meetings that have been taking place across the country. These meetings have served and continue to serve as a forum for Prof. Moghalu to unveil his plans for a better Nigeria.

Signed

Jide Akintunde

Official Spokesman for Presidential Aspirant,
Professor Kingsley Moghalu and his
To Build A Nation Platform

I want to commend the Pro Chancellor Vice Chancellor the Governing Council and the University Management for the successes recorded by the university, especially in recent times.

ON BEHALF OF MY FELLOW AWARDEES WE THANK THE Pro Chancellor AND GOVERNING COUNCIL FOR THIS award that has been bestowed on us today and consider it as a call for us to do more in the service of humanity.

I believe the university management should not be left to do it alone. This is the practice all over the world, where private citizens , bodies and foundations partner to provide quality education.

There is no doubt that affordable and qualitative education is one of the best panaceas to the present developmental challenges facing our country, especially the socio-cultural and security vulnerabilities in which are our youths are the highest brunt bearers.”

“I am a firm believer and supporter of Article 26 of the United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights (1948), to which Nigeria is a signatory; that declared the Right to Education as a fundamental human right.”

“In the light of the foregoing, we have no hesitation whatsoever, in accepting the honorary doctorate degree on us , on behalf of my fellow awardees which I believe is a challenge for us to do more”,

As we are now an Alumnus of this university, our doors will remain open to you and we won’t be far away from you.

We have decided to support this University by funding the building of an ultra modern lecture theatre .

We thank our friends. Associates and staff who have travelled from far to witness this occasion and wish all of us safe journey back to our various destinations.

I won’t end this address without congratulating my fellow alumni graduating today and your parents and guardians on your wonderful landmark achievement.

Renowned businessman and Chairman of Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Prince Dapo Abiodun, has bagged the Doctor of Science in Business Development and Administration (Honorary Causa) of the Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State.

According to a letter from the university, dated May 15, the awardee will be honoured on July 22 during the university’s fourth convocation ceremony.

“The university congratulates you as you identify with its alumni, sharing your wealth of experience and knowledge for the growth of Adeleke University,” the letter said.

Accepting the award, Abiodun, who is also the Chairman of Heyden Petroleum Limited, noted that it was a call for him to do more in the service of humanity.

DA, as he is fondly called, offers revealing courage in today’s black world and undeniably delightful personality with an anecdotes of the influences that is needed for governance in Nigeria. He has impacted on many people through his experience in life.

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